Demetrius Knight Jr. went out on his terms while leaving legacy at South Carolina in one year

Demetrius Knight Jr. will go on and have a great career at the next level. He had nothing more to prove at South Carolina as he already had put his stamp on the program.

He had all the reasons in the world to not play in the team’s bowl game. But he had his reasons for wanting to finish out on his terms. Of course, he wanted to show his children how to finish what you start. It also would’ve been hard for him to not be in Orlando with the team.

“You can go to different places in your college career … you won’t really feel at home. You won’t really feel loved. Here, it’s everywhere in the facility. Above all else, love. That’s what it’s all about. That’s why I chose to come back. Don’t leave them hanging,” Knight said after the game.

“I told Oscar (Adaway III) in the locker room a couple minutes ago; it would have eaten me alive being back at home and seeing the way that I could have helped in some way.”

Knight opted to play in the Citrus Bowl on Tuesday, a game South Carolina lost to Illinois to end the season. He led the way with a team-high seven tackles while also forcing a fumble. It was a fitting end to his college career as he now gets ready for the future. But above all else, he went out the right way, which is all he wanted to do.

“This is a blessing for me. I can’t thank God enough for making this possible. All glory goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for helping and putting me in this position,” he said. “Didn’t end the way we wanted to tonight, but this is something that this team in 2024 will remember for the rest of our lives.”

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After transferring to the Gamecocks for his final year of eligibility in 2024, Knight took full advantage of his opportunity. And for South Carolina, the return on investment paid dividends. Shane Beamer and his staff identified a player who had a great year at a Group of Five school. In return, they got nothing but fantastic results from him here in Columbia.

“I am extremely grateful and blessed, just for the opportunity,” Knight said. “You don’t get many opportunities like this, starting at Georgia Tech, a pretty decent school, and dropping a lower level to Charlotte and making it out back to, you know, the best football there is in the SEC at Carolina.”

Knight will finish the season with 82 tackles, second-most on the defense. He also forced three fumbles, had two sacks and one interception. He’s one of many veterans from this year’s defense who will not be back next season, making for a new group of players who will have to step in and make an impact.

But for Knight, who served as a mentor for many of the younger players on the team, sees them carrying out what he and others on the defense built in 2024.

“Being there for guys like Fred Johnson, those are the guys that are going to take this thing over. It’s going to be up to him to keep the standard, if you will. And I believe he’s going to do that and exceed the level of expectations that we have for him,” Knight said.

“Fred, Wendell (Gregory), Jalewis (Solomon), other guys are going to come in and wonder how things are supposed to work, but now they have a foundation that’s been built by guys like me, Bam (Martin-Scott), Debo (Williams), and they’re going to continue that. So, I wanted to make sure that I left a legacy, one of faith, making sure that stays number one. And two, making sure you love your teammates, not just do things on the field, but do things off the field, as well. You get the spring, you get the summer, to really build that bond together, and that’s how you get the moments like we did tonight.”

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